5 Sucres

Ecuador's Banco Central issued this denomination across three decades — a span that tells its own story about the sucre's gradual erosion. The 5 sucre note was effectively redundant long before the series ended; by the late 1980s, inflation had so thoroughly devalued the currency that the denomination barely covered a bus fare in Quito. The BCdE kept it in print out of institutional inertia more than practical necessity.

Thomas De La Rue produced the series throughout, as they had held Ecuador's banknote contracts for most of the twentieth century. Later dates in the run tend to show heavier circulation wear — the note's modest value meant it passed through many hands quickly and was rarely set aside.